Football daft Scottish actor Tony Curran takes on the world of film and television

00:01, 31 May 2014

ByBrian McIver

TONY, who got his big break in This Life and has starred in Doctor Who and The Mentalist is one of the fastest rising Sci-fi stars in the world thanks to his hit US show Defiance.

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Tony Curran

HIS GRANDFATHER was a scout who helped some of Scotland’s greatest international football players get into the game.

Now football daft actor Tony Curran is taking on the world himself via some of the biggest films and television programmes around.

Tony, who got his big break as a plumber in This Life and has starred in programmes like Doctor Who, 24, CSI and The Mentalist is one of the fastest rising Sci-fi stars in the world thanks to his hit US show Defiance where he plays an alien gangster.

He is about to launch season two of the big budget drama about a futuristic Earth full infested with alien species and monsters, but for his newest project, he has found his life turning full circle.

Hollywood based Tony, 44, is currently in Stoke filming a BBC movie Marvellous about an learning disabled fan of local side Stoke City FC who is given a job at the club by its Scottish manager Lou Macari.

Tony plays Scotland legend Macari who started off his career playing for Celtic in the legendary Quality Street gang team of aspiring young stars which also included defender Danny McGrain - a player signed for the Glasgow club by Tony’s grandfather Tommy Reilly.

And he said it was an amazing chance to play the famous player and manager: “I met Lou just after we started shooting and he was a really nice man and it was great to talk to him.

“Lou was lovely to speak to, we talked about dialogue and when he met me I was wearing a bunnet, so the first thing he said to me was ‘you’re not wearing that are you?’ “

“My grandfather was a scout for Celtic in the 60s and the 70s and signed people like Danny McGrain, so it was really nice to meet him. It’s also nice to play a human for a change.”

Tony Curran as Datak Tarr in Defiance

He is usually seen in full white make up and white wig playing alien schemer Datak Tarr in the Syfy channel hit Defiance, with the second season due to arrive in the UK this autumn.

“It’s gone really well and the second season is going to be even more interesting -there is a real arc to the characters. Everything is broken at the start of the season, so it’s all about where the characters including Datak go from here.

Last year, Celtic fan Tony was spotted in a Toronto pub in full Defiance alien make up watching his team beat Barcelona in the Champion’s League, keeps up to date with Scottish football as much as he can and rubs shoulders with celebrity fans like Rod Stewart and Billy Connolly at the local supprters’ club to watch games.

Tony as Datak Tarr in the Toronto bar

A keen footballer himself, Tony has played for the Hollywood United celebrity charity football side - competing alongside former Rangers captain Richard Gough- and said he loves life in LA with his wife Mai and their new baby daughter Beau Mary.

He also took part in the recent Brit Week event in LA, promoting UK artists and interests in California, and said that while it might not be his cup of tea, it has been wonderful for him and his family.

And while he loves Scotland and misses home - he is delighted to be living the Hollywood dream as a successful working actor.

“I’ve heard actors talk about how elements of Hollywood are unhealthy, but someone said to me once that a place is only as good as the people you know.

“I love living there - I moved out about ten years ago after League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and got some movie parts and stayed.

“You kind of float along with the breeze, I didn’t consciously think I’d end up in LA for so long. I left Glasgow aged 24 and lived in London for a long time before moving out here.

“There’s a lot of opportunity out there, it can be a lonely place if you don’t know people but I’ve been there a while and have good friends. I don’t know too many Scots out there funnily enough or spend too much time with actors.

He added: “I don’t tend to go out on the tiles these days- having had a baby, everything changes in life.

“We’d been trying to have a little baby for a while, so we are loving it. It’s really joyful.

“The LA baby scene is pretty interesting, we’ve not really been hanging out by the pool with the baby much, we tend to do out own thing.